Last weekend our family had the privilege of joining colleagues from both political parties on a walk through the historic sites of the Civil Rights movement in Montgomery and Selma, Alabama. We will never forget the experience. I served as co-leader of the 10th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage sponsored by the Faith & Politics Institute.

We arrived in Montgomery on Saturday afternoon and made our way to the home church of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Sitting in the front pew at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, we heard from Dorothy Cotton about her years working with Dr. King. She spoke of the faith that sustained their work and the historic importance of music and singing to the movement.

We then made our way to the Civil Rights Memorial, where our kids were given the privilege of laying a wreath to honor those who had lost their lives in the struggle for equality, and into the nearby museum with its inspiring displays of history. But it was the personal stories of segregation, told by the people who lived it and peacefully fought against it, that were most moving to us. Hearing firsthand accounts of how African Americans in the South were systematically denied the right to vote, intimidated, beaten and even killed fighting for that right will never leave us.

How far we've come since last June when I first committed to you that I would do all I could to work toward repeal of the corrosive policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Since then, I've worked hard to whip support for an amendment to
temporarily halt the enforcement of the policy; I secured the
commitment of Chairman Levin to hold the first Senate hearings on DADT,
the first of which, I'm proud to say, was held early last month; and
just last week, I was thrilled to stand with my colleagues as an
original co-sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010,
which will repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and prohibit
discrimination of servicemembers based on their sexual orientation.

We are now closer than we've ever been to repealing this unjust and
discriminatory measure that both hampers our national security and
violates the civil rights of some of our bravest Americans.

At a time when we're fighting multiple wars abroad, we need all of our best and brightest serving.

During the past year I've had conversations with thousands of people
from all parts of Colorado, and I've heard a common refrain: Washington
isn't working. Last week, the obstructionist actions of Republican
senator Jim Bunning left no doubt that the people of Colorado are right
-- Washington is broken, and it's getting worse.

The filibuster was originally intended to protect minority rights
and encourage meaningful debate on the Senate floor. Today, this
important rule is being abused at an unprecedented rate, and it's
grinding the business of the Senate to a standstill.

That's why I am introducing new legislation to reform the Senate's
rules -- to reform the filibuster in a responsible, practical way. My
bill protects minority rights, while allowing the Senate to more
efficiently conduct the people's business and put an end to pointless
delays.

The Democratic loss in Massachusetts did not change the fact that
health care inflation is dangerously sandbagging our economy, and it
didn't change the fact that tens of millions of Americans remain
uninsured.

Right after the Massachusetts election, I had a chance to speak to
the House Democratic Congressional Caucus. Members were anxious,
frustrated, and generally pessimistic about the loss and what it meant
for all of our major policy plans, especially for health care reform.

On Thursday I was pleased to announce that long overdue policy
guidance was released by the National Guard Bureau which will ensure
that Iowa's Army National Guard and Reserve members are finally paid
the "Respite Leave" payments they were promised when they completed the
longest deployment since World War II in 2007.

For some of us, this change in policy has been a long-time coming.
Over the last two years, I've joined with my Congressional colleagues
in bipartisan, bicameral efforts to pressure the Department of Defense
to expedite their bureaucratic delays, and to pass the necessary
legislation to pay soldiers these benefits.

During this long process, I always had the help and support of my
amazing staff, and together we made this one of our top priorities.